State At A Glance

June 26, 2007

AREAWIDE -- A Springfield man has been accused of such severe home improvement fraud that Attorney General Richard Blumenthal may personally handle part of the criminal cases. Richard Koslik, who has a record of convictions for home improvement scams, is accused of taking tens of thousands of dollars from homeowners in Bristol, New Britain, Enfield and West Hartford, and then abruptly abandoning the remodeling jobs.

CROMWELL -- The thousands of visitors at the Travelers Championship over the weekend may not have noticed it, but something was missing: The host town did not have a hospitality booth. Some say the radio advertising reached more people, but others said the town was short-changed.

FARMINGTON -- A Bristol man suspected in at least seven bank robberies in the area was arrested Monday morning, minutes after an attempted robbery of the Farmington Savings Bank on Scott Swamp Road, police said. Richard Ferry, 44, was taken into custody without incident.

SOUTHINGTON -- Vincent Agu, 16, who drowned Sunday, was an avid athlete with ambitions of attending an Ivy League school and becoming a lawyer. Agu's family said Monday that the young man wanted to attend Yale University and that the family moved to Connecticut to be closer to the school.

VERNON -- Two town employees have filed civil rights complaints against the town, contending they've been the victims of bias. Mary P. Pippin, who served as acting director of data processing, but did not get the permanent job, contends she was the victim of sexual discrimination. Maurice Hill Sr., an employee in the public works department, contends he has been harassed and discriminated against because he is black. Town Administrator Christopher Clark said he is confident the process will show that the claims are without merit.

WEST HARTFORD -- Town officials say they want to keep any possible budget reductions away from classroom programs, but everything else is up for discussion as the town council heads into tonight's public hearing.

WEST HARTFORD -- The number of students expelled from town schools dropped significantly this year, according to the district's annual discipline report. The report for 2006-07 shows that 11 students were expelled from the middle and high schools from August through May 31. That figure dropped more than 60 percent from the 30 students expelled in 2005-06.